Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Phew.....!

Okay, okay. I did expect strong reactions to the open letter - but THIS impassioned?? The most interesting ones came from non- maharashtrians. The first guy ( MBA type) said flatly, " You have provided Raj with a sound marketing plan - he should thank you for the same." The second one ( from a canny businessman ) echoed the sentiment. This gentleman said, "It's a blueprint for the future. If the MNS wants to grow and establish its credibility, they should read the letter carefully. Your tone is that of an elder sister providing SENSIBLE advice to an impetuous brat brother." Think positive. Look..... you guys can read whatever you want into that missive. I wrote it because I felt it. I am nobody to offer 'advice'. But as a person who loves Mumbai, Maharashtra, India ( not in that order necessarily), I am glad I got the opportunity to articulate my feelings on a touchy yet potent issue. The entire world is grappling with the question of identity - it is at the core of our being. We need to know who we are - this argument extends beyond Raj Thackeray and politics.I said what I had to say. Baat khatam. ********************* The cnbc interview ( pretty much the same subject) with Anuradha Sengupta can be watched on Youtube. I would have provided the link.... but you know how terrible I am at all this. In fact, I have asked my friend Aparna to do so in the COMMENTS space, so it can be easily accessed. The programme is called 'Beautiful People', and has featured individuals ranging from Amartya Sen ( my contemporary hero - I have a secret crush on the guy) to Salman Khan ( I don't have a crush on this guy, but I quite like his 'new', 'improved' avatar) in the past. *****************************About my Rakhee Sawant encounter - it was scintillating and electrifying. The context was crazy, and I am delighted to report that my girl Rakhee held her own and kept those rapid fire, hilarious Rakhee-isms rolling. A bit of a wasted effort, alas. The super elite, chi chi crowd didn't get them - or her. But hey, does she care?? She is a big brand now and her show's trps exceed the Big B's. Aur kya chaahiye?? Good on you, gurrrrrl. ***********************I am leaving for Delhi this afternoon. It's useful to check out Dilli ki Garam Hawa periodically. Pune comes next. You may miss me.... but I promise you taaza capital khabar on my return. 'This is it'. I love you, MJ.

Raj Thackeray has built his political career on the basis of hate-mongering and he obviously realises that he can not let go of it without incurring political losses.

Look at what happened with Narendra Modi. He attempted to change his public image to a goodie-goodie one, but failed to get the desired results because his major vote bank is comprised of bigots and he lost ground there when he tried to do that.

Well, you've done some damage control & subsided the Garam Hawa of the Raj Thackeray debate. Garam Hawa in Delhi ? In Oct ? It'll be cool. Enjoy, you Marathi Mulgi as an outsider before you come back to your comfort zone, Pune (just for fun !)Happy journey.

as u said baat khatam.....wht u said has been said....did chk out yr interview .....beautifull people......was left all smiling ....and happy to c on the tube....(wht do do feel a personal bond with u via the blog)......hy wht abt the rakhi sawant show details.......

most of the times u r articulate and then suddenly u say something that is preposterous....look u r comparing Rakhi 'item' sawant to Big B and that her shows have more trp's than B's. who gave u these figures, for which show? please mind u'r 'comparisons'!http://omsherryom.wordpress.com

I have said this before (I think) saying again..living abroad (UK) I wonder if I had people like Thakrey’s asking me questions of wat I am doing here and to prove my credibility… the world will go back to dark ages.. I don’t get it how people can think like that in today’s global world and infact the logic doesn’t even apply to mumbaoi as Inida is 1 country or so I think.... mumbaikars and for that matter anyone..they r working hard ‘coz they want to do good for themselves not necessarily for the patriotic reasons… so I feel sad with the current mess////

On the matter of our pyaaree rakhi ji..she is making hay while sun is shining… she is Jade Goody of India when she’ll know she had it she will have the final card of getting married for real on TV n may b giving birth on TV lol

Amitabh sathiya (60) gaya hai lol Why ..read his blog he is on a mission to eradicate all the journos but have no balls to deal with peple stronger then him..like raj thakrey etc Jaya ji saying sorry to Mumbai manus ewwwwwwwww

I loved your letter to Raj and you said what you felt like. It takes lot of courage, guts and bravery. I applaud you for that. I do agree it is a bigger issues than Raj Thakerey. Our identities are at the core of it all and as Indians we do need to do some introspection about how strongly we feel about our own identities.

Have good time in Delhi...jalebi shalebi khao and body shody banaao :) (I just love the typical northie style 'body shodie' rhymings so used it :) And once you are in Pune do make sure you try the fresh "SuraLichya vadya" from a small store near Vishraambaag wada. (It's exactly opposite off Shanipaar bus stop and it's much better than the usual Chitale's etc.)

I would like to point out that people in the UK do not ask you why you are there, because you already speak the language, probably have some familiarity with thier culture, hopefully pay taxes, provide a skill that is needed, do not live in a unused sewer pipe or sidewalk and tap illegal water and electricity connections and do not bring in family members who may/maynot support gangsters and a criminal culture or be a burden on a already stretched-to-the-limits social services and utilities infrastructure.

Big boss's TRP's must be really low that's why the contestants tried to pull down their underwears...Must be inspired by Rakhi Sawant...

I failed to understand why BigB gets frustrated when he is dragged into controversies. It's a simple fact...if you associate yourself with gutter people...be it producers of BigBoss3 or beloved Amar Singh...Keechad ke chhenten tto padenge !!

I wonder what his thoughts would have been had Aishwarya, Jaya Bhaduri and Amar singh would have been on BigBoss and they indulge in this underwear pulling down business. That would have sky-rocketed the trp's.

@Nilesh Thanks for confirming the ‘myth’ …typical… you want me to wait forever in India for the change to happen.. We’ll chat in few years n see wat u have gained…When u don’t have an answer u rant… I AM NOT LOOKING FOR ANYONE’S VALIDATION!!! Keep ur 2 pennies advise close 2 u ….

Do a ‘sach ka samna’ my dear…. IAM NOT PATRIOTIC and atleast I am not hypocrite like others to say something which I don’t believe in… God Bless u!

@Kiran – the situation is same infact worst..thr is a kot unemployment here and people who r unemployed don’t understand the logic of skilled migrants… I fail to understand the whole debate from anyone on the matter on ‘ Why one needs permission to work/ travel in thr own country?’ I am not a politician but I am saying wat I feel…

I am not into politics that much.But these day Wills fashion week Delhi has caught my attention.Gun Panag has attended and provided us live feed of the show thoughts video and comment on twitter.I have made an effort to collect some of her pictures and tried to made a video out of it.Could you care to have a look on it. The video is already raging high scores in indian sub-continent geography of youtube viewers.

Link to the video is : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBv-FmuJjRg

CheersLooking forward for your response on video through comment on youtube.

you definitely have a point. The means Raj Thakre adopted was abominable, but it's his chance now to prove himself through meaningful contribution in Maharashtra. Politics based on any kind of seggregation will not yield results in the long run....I hope he has the vision and forsight to understand that.

it cannot be a surprise that so many people have vetoed the idea of a multiple coexistense. This kind of aggression was bound to come about, especially in these times, when there is this insane need to dive & grab the fish than use a bait. It's all about frustration.

But please do not conclude that all of life's frustrations is the sole propriety of the "AAM AADMI".

I've had the privilege of staying at many different cities throughout my childhood. This however has served as a bad omen when I needed to establish that I am eligible to apply as a local candidate.

Well, as it turned out, I was not only non-local in the states where I grew up but also in my own native state where I was born.

I eventually struggled to earn my rightful seat in college just because of this stupid, dumb arrangement!

So, when someone like Raj Thakeray advocates the rights of the locals, I only wish someone would one day stand up to do the same in my own state!

hailla!!!! tumi kasa kaay raj thakre la ghabraaun raala...hihihhi i tried to speak marathi...well, today only i read ur last psot where u have mentioned"Win their love, and more importantly, their respect." In one aspect i honestly feel that somehow RAJ managed to win place in the heart of people. Now as he has got chance he must win the respect.

Secondly i feel he will continue to behave aggressive only because he must be in impression that the key of success was his attitude over dhav/ balasaheb. If he continue to do so....surely he is dividing his own city/soil...as u said-BONAFIED SOIL...hihihhihii(i honestly enjoyed reading BONAFIED SOIL...hehehehe)

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